steering wheel removal question

D

Duncan

True Classic
Haynes manual does not tell me how to do this but to realign the steering wheel you have to remove the large nut beneath the horn.

Once the nut is removed do I need a puller to release the steering wheel boss from the steering column splines or will it simply lift off?

A friend of mine told me that the boss may be wedge on to the splines and difficult to remove without a puller and as with most things Fiat it may be hard to get off.:eek:

Also when I reattach the large nut does anybody know what the torque setting should be?

Obviously once the steering wheel boss is off the car I can center the wheel.

Regards

Duncan
 
Once the nut is off, wiggle the steering wheel at a 'quarter to three' position and pull ...sit back bracing yourself for when it lets go so you dont get a bust nose!
I replaced my wheel nut 'hand tight' with a socket wrench.
 
Could move the joint

under the dash. it's a single bolt that holds the U-joint to the stearing rod. You may need to loosen the bolts holding the stearing wheel to the dash so you can pull the rod out of the joint, but this might be less of a job than pulling the stearing wheel.

Just offering you an option.
 
I've had to use a puller to get the steering wheel off -

They don't come off easy otherwise.
 
if the wheel is tight and you don't have a puller put nut on couple of turns to protect the threads and give it a whack with a hammer. Should come off. I had a wheel that was tight tried the puller and it just bent the wheel the hammer did the job.
 
If the steering wheel is stuck hit with your hands the steering not together but first the right and after the left for five six times to loosen it. You don’t hit it with direction to get it out but opposite.
This way the move of the steering wheel from the hits makes the steering to unstuck from the splines.
After some hits try to pull it off but always leave the nut a little tight so don’t hit your nose with the steering wheel.

Kostas (Greece)
 
Nice..

Only I didn't leave the nut and I know now why I should have. I pulled mine off the old fashioned way, pulled the nut off with a 12v impact gun, beat the crap out of the wheel with a mallet and pulled it out on three hits. However mine had already been replaced, the longer it's been there the harder it will be to take off. If you have access to a puller just bring it, try not to use it at first, then if you need it at least you don't have to put the wheel back on to go get it. Don't be afraid to use the puller hammer combo.
 
When you undo that nut, leave it on so when you try to pull the wheel off you don't break your nose.
 
Am I the only one who thinks that this is a wacky way to do an alignment?:eek:

Seriously, if I went to an alignment shop and they did that to my car, I'd go ballistic! Not sure why an X owner would self-inflict something ike this.
 
It depends...

Is the rack/steering wheel centered? If so, then minor adjustments at the steering wheel may be needed to center the steering wheel. If the rack centering is unknown, there's a good place to start. Centering steering wheel should always be last. A few turns of the tie rod ends will center it also.
 
Yeah Dan... yur right... but as Greg says...

... it should be the LAST thing you do. Who knows what's gone on over the years...

My "history" with GM has kinda spoiled me as many had a "o" stamped on the steering shaft where the TOP CENTER "should be"... Having something like this would give ya a glue as to how mal-adjusted the steering wheel might be.

Anyway...
 
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